Im 100% new to kayaking-need some advise

Hello everyone! So im brand spanking new to kayaking, so new that i still need to buy a kayak. I currently moved to Del Rio Texas for Air Force pilot training and there are some cool rivers and lakes around. I need some advise on this kayak.



http://www.sportsauthority.com/product/index.jsp?productId=21539706&srccode=cii_17588969&cpncode=35-123040921-2



I am looking at this kayak because I like to fish and its pretty cheap with good reviews. I plan on doing light kayaking, no rapids, just nice calm cruising waters. Something to do on the weekends to get out of the house and release the stress of training. What do you guys think?



Thanks!

Is there one you can look at and sit in
I am reluctant to advise people to buy kayaks mail order unless they have had an opportunity to at least sit in it. If the boat is very uncomfortable for you to get in it you won’t like it regardless of what other virtues it might have.



I have no experience with the maker or the model. It appears to be a typical single layer, polyethylene recreational kayak in the popular 10 foot length, like scads of others. As long as you don’t plan to paddle whitewater in it, or paddle too terribly fast or too terribly far, it will probably suit your needs if you are comfortable in it.

For the price you can’t go wrong
Just make sure there is floatation in both ends.

Keep in mind that it won’t be fast, but many of us here on P-net started with similar kayaks, and once and if you get hooked you can move up to a longer one.



Good luck, and I hope you enjoy it.



Jack L

It is what it is

– Last Updated: Nov-10-13 8:11 PM EST –

Let me start by saying it's very similar to my first kayak and I have a couple similar kayaks in my fleet and they are fine for nice days on the bayous and creeks.

That said let me point out the things that separate it from a touring kayak. First that big open cockpit that makes it easy to get in cannot be sealed with a skirt. Don't waste your money on one i even if you could find one. If a wave breaks on a skirt that big the weight of the water will cause the skirt to collapse in your lap. Combine that width the wide width which makes it stable and you will not be doing any Eskimo rolls in it. And wide and stable means slow compared to other boats. Moot point if you're out by yourself or in a group of similar boats.
I don't believe that boat has any bulkheads. Two bulkheads divide the boat into thirds so if the cockpit fills with water it will still float with the coaming above water so it can be bailed out. One bulkhead means it's going to float pointing up and down and must be dragged ashore to be emptied. No bulkheads means it's going to fill up and there should be some foam pillars which will make it "float" just below the surface. Paddle where it can be dragged ashore to be dumped and you'll have no problems. In my experience I have never flooded any of the open boats I have, but I don't take those out into he chop.

So now this is strictly my opinion, all low end cheap recreational kayaks are the same. I sweated my first buy, compared all the stats, read all the reviews, and have come to realize they are pretty much all the same. Reviews from someone who only has paddled one boat for two weeks are worthless, ignore them. But there is nothing wrong with them, just understand what your buying. No paddling miles offshore, no class IV whitewater, no speed records. And if you are going to get an inexpensive boat, since they are all the same. You can probably pick up a 10 footer on craigslist with a paddle for under 200 and you won't have to worry about that first scratch. You can probably sell it for a small profit next spring.
Put your money into a decent PFD, get one made for kayaking, regular boating PFDs are uncomfortable in a kayak seat. If you enjoy it, get a decent aqua bound paddle. I would rather spend 150 each on paddle and boat than 275 on a boat with a 25 dollar paddle.
But most importantly, get a boat and get out and paddle. If this one speaks to you and it's what is going to get you out on the water then go for it.

Edit to add: I like to fish. I love to kayak. I cannot stand trying to fish from my kayak. Some do, not me. One or the other.

Buy used and consider heat
Can’t comment on the kayak, but I would definitely look for a used boat, as others have recommended.



Many people seem to prefer a sit-on-top (SOT) kayak or a canoe for fishing because you have better access to all your stuff, but ask over on the fishing forum. These types of boats would also be cooler in the Texas summer, although an SOT may not be a good choice for running rivers.






I am a long time fisherman
I would not go out in that boat to fish. I know it is cheap. But there is a reason. It is the dollar store version of a kayak and does almost nothing well. Yeah, you can paddle around in it in calm water and have a good time. But it is not designed nor built for fishing. And if you get unlucky and the weather turns bad (wind and waves) you will be in deep sh*t. Go to one of the kayak fishing websites (just Google kayak fishing) and pay attention to what they say.

Or…
Maybe watch your Craigslist…



http://delrio.craigslist.org/boa/4103315207.html

recreational class boat
That is a recreational class boat. I think it may also be one without a rear bulkhead, so just has a bag in under the rear hatch. The challenge is that if you flip it over, there likely would not be enough flotation to get back into it on the water. In some areas, this is a death sentence due to cold water, but that may not be as much an issue for much of the year for you.



There is an article in California Kayaker Magazine’s spring 2013 issue on different types of boats and what they are good at. Can be read for free at http://www.calpaddlermag.com/magazine.html.

That is not correct on the skirt
We have skirts with adjustable implosion bars built into them, and we paddle class I-II.

They don’t leak a drop. The curved built in adjustable bar makes the water shed off.

Also as long as the boat has flotation at both ends, it can be pulled into shore and pumped out



Jack L

To be precise Jack
You could fill both ends of the boat with concrete and when it sinks drag it ashore and pump it out. What I was saying was if you don’t have two bulkheads you’re not bailing it out while on the water.

I haven’t seen the torsion bars but then I don’t have whitewater around me. They sell that boat at Walmart and he’s not going to find what you’re talking about at Walmart or any other big box store. If he is interested in getting into heavier water I would recommend getting a boat built for it. I know Pelican sells skirts for their huge rec boats and what I said is true. It doesn’t surprise me that someone sells an aftermarket product for someone who insists on doing it anyway but the guy says he knows nothing about kayaking and I was making him aware of the problem.